AL focused on chief adviserThe much-awaited dialogue over electoral reforms between ruling BNP and main opposition Awami League (AL) began yesterday with the AL asking for resolving first the issue of appointment of the chief adviser

Malaysia again bans Bangladeshi workersThe Malaysian government once again imposed a ban on recruiting Bangladeshi workers--only two months after lifting a similar ban--as the agencies concerned failed to send 21,988 workers who had been allowed

&nbsp

JS draws more attention than beforeLeaders and lawmakers of the ruling BNP, opposition Awami League (AL) and their allies, journalists and commoners thronged the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Bhaban yesterday as the crucial talks between the two

&nbsp

US, EU, UK hail talksThe United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union yesterday welcomed the initiation of dialogue between BNP and Awami League (AL), saying that it would pave the way for free and fair elections

&nbsp

Sportsmen for trial of cops before EidSportsmen and officials of the arena yesterday threatened to boycott sports and go for tougher programmes if the government does not put policemen involved with assaulting shooter Asif Hossain Khan and

Comilla Jubo League man murderedA Jubo League activist was murdered after abduction allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir activists in Chouddagram upazila early yesterday.

&nbsp

Board rejects BB probe report, claims innocenceThe board of directors of the Oriental Bank yesterday rejected the Bangladesh Bank (BB) investigation report about embezzlement of huge sums of money and claimed that no member of the board was involved

&nbsp

CEC holds 5-hr meeting with commissionersThe chief election commissioner (CEC) and the other three election commissioners held a marathon meeting yesterday while the ruling BNP and opposition Awami League (AL) were discussing electoral reforms

&nbsp

2 major power units resume operations from Oct 15The grim power situation of the country is expected to improve slightly from October 15 as two major power units -- one at the 450MW Meghnaghat power plant and a 210MW unit at Ghorashal -- are likelyto

Rockets, blast spark fresh fears for MusharrafBomb disposal experts defused two rockets near President Pervez Musharraf's residence and the Pakistani parliament in Islamabad yesterday, hours after a blast in a park near his army home.

&nbsp

Pressure builds for sanctions on IranForeign ministers from the six major powers seeking to defuse the Iran nuclear crisis were expected in London today, diplomats said, amid growing pressure for sanctions to be slapped on Tehran.

&nbsp

10 killed in 26-hour Kashmir gunbattleTen people, including seven policemen and two militants, were killed in a 26-hour gunbattle as security forces fought gunmen holed up in a hotel in the heart of Kashmir's main city, police said yesterday.

&nbsp

Criminal killed in 'shootout' with RabA listed criminal was killed in an 'encounter' between his accomplices and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) at Alamganj Ghat of Sutrapur in the capital early yesterday.

Shrimp hatcheries at stakeIgnorance in natural conservation and use of additional antibiotic by technicians, most of whom are foreigners, in hatching shrimp fry have made the country's Tk 500 crore hatchery industry unstable,industry

Tata eyes Ritz-Carlton Hotel in BostonIn its continued overseas acquisition spree, the Tata Group plans to buy the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Boston, US, for 170 million dollars in a move that will help the leading Indian business house expand

Cricket:SL discomfort delights TigersBangladesh think-tank was not worried with the pacey wicket at Mohali where they will play their opening game in the preliminary round of the ICC Champions Trophy against in-form Sri Lanka tomorrow.

&nbsp

Hockey:Club Cup Mohammedan'sMaksud Alam Habul set an equaliser and struck a 71st minute golden goal to dethrone Abahani as Club Cup champions and gave Mohammedan Sporting Club their third title with a 2-1 victory in the final of

&nbsp

Cricket:Trophy TreatsThe Tigers were not only impressed by the sector based city of Chandigarh but also its cricket facilities, especially when they have arrived from a city where the main stadiums are under piles of construction

&nbsp

Cricket:ESPN-STAR's unfriendly offerESPN-STAR Sports on Thursday expressed its desire to extend its broadcasting partnership with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for the next six-year cycle.

&nbsp

Cricket:GP stays CCL sponsorsCountry's leading cellular phone operator GrameenPhone has for the fourth consecutive time become sponsors of the Corporate Cricket League (CCL) that begins tomorrow in the city.

&nbsp

Cricket:Delhi cops to quiz GibbsSouth African batsman Herschelle Gibbs is likely to be questioned by Indian police over a 2000 match-fixing scandal during the Champion's Trophy which starts Saturday, officials said.

Cricket:Khan resigns as captainBatsman Mohammad Yousuf will lead Pakistan in the Champions Trophy after Younis Khan dramatically refused to captain the side, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Thursday.

&nbsp

Hate the police actsThe country's sports fraternity yesterday came in unison to protest last Monday's brutal police assaults on national shooters and employees of the National Shooting Federation (NSF).

&nbsp

Cricket:India won't sign MPAIndia on Thursday reiterated it would not sign a key commercial contract with cricket's world governing body despite threats it could lose the right to stage the 2011 cricket World Cup as a result.

&nbsp

Football:Anelka back in France foldControversial striker Nicolas Anelka was welcomed back to the France squad on Thursday by his teammates.

Cricket:Vaughan eyes Ashes returnInjured England captain Michael Vaughan said Thursday he was hopeful of being fit to play a part in the Ashes series this winter.

&nbsp

Cricket:Styris cleared for TrophyNew Zealand cricket all-rounder Scott Styris has been cleared to play in the Champions Trophy tournament after coming through a training camp unscathed over the last week.

Football:Dein elected G14 presidentArsenal chairman David Dein was on Wednesday named the new president of the G14 group which represents 18 of Europe's richest clubs.

&nbsp

Football:Perrotta a questionItaly's Simone Perrotta is doubtful for their crucial 2008 European championship qualifying matches against Ukraine and Georgia after suffering a double injury in training.

&nbsp

Cricket:Maharoof makes Lankans smileSri Lanka geared up for the upcoming Champions Trophy one-day tournament with a comfortable 84-run victory in a practice match here on Thursday.

&nbsp

Cricket:England seeks compensation from PakistanThe England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has asked Pakistan to compensate it for the loss of revenues in the cancelled fourth Test at The Oval in August, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman said

Football:Neville tipped for tonRio Ferdinand has tipped his fellow Manchester United defender Gary Neville to become only the fifth England player to win 100 caps.

&nbsp

Football:Crouch keen to partner RooneyPeter Crouch says he will be the perfect partner for the returning Wayne Rooney when England play Macedonia in a Euro 2008 qualifier on Saturday.

&nbsp

Football:Chelsea hit back at CalderonChelsea on Thursday hit back at claims by Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon that the Blues spending power was over-inflating the transfer market for other European clubs.

&nbsp

Football:Croatia suffer Srna blowCroatia's preparations for next Wednesday's Euro 2008 qualifier against England were dealt a severe blow yesterday when the playmaker Darijo Srna limped out of training.

&nbsp

Football:Quaresma promises Eriksson returnBenfica presidential candidate Carlos Alberto Quaresma has promised that if elected he will try and lure former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson back to the Portuguese giants for a third time.

&nbsp

Football:UEFA delays Gibraltar decisionEuropean soccer's governing body UEFA has delayed a controversial decision to grant membership to Gibraltar -- despite being ordered to do so by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

'80pc workers won't benefit from new labour law'The Bangladesh Labour Law 2006, passed in parliament last month, would not protect the interests of the workers, rather it would serve the interests of the owners, said Karmojibi Nari (KN) President Shirin

Two cases filed against PM, her son, nine othersThe 'Janatar Adalat' (people's court), set up by the 14-party opposition combine in Chittagong, heard two cases against 11 people, including Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman, yesterday.

&nbsp

MoU signed with US co to conduct feasibility studyA memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and American Transport System Corporation (ATSC) here yesterday to conduct feasibility study on construction of elevated

Schoolgirl killed in wall collapse in cityA schoolgirl was killed and three others including two children were injured when a wall of an under-construction building collapsed on a tin-roofed house in the city yesterday.

&nbsp

Tk 1.10 crore ASA loan for monga-hit peopleASA, a micro finance institution, has started a special flexible loan programme for the monga (famine-like situation) affected people of greater Rangpur, says a press release.

&nbsp

Suspected mugger beaten to deathA mob beat a suspected mugger to death and injured another critically at Moghbazar in the city in the early hours of yesterday. The dead was identified as Mizan, 25, and the injured as Rahim.

&nbsp

Japanese envoy meets ErshadThe newly appointed Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Masayuki Inoue yesterday made a courtesy call on Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman HM Ershad at his Banani office.

ClarificationThe Birdem Officers' Welfare Association in a clarification on a report headlined 'Implement new organisational structure at Birdem' published in The Daily Star on September 24 said that speakers at the

Swani Zubayeer's 'Ajossro Kobita'Though ghazals originated in Persia and later attained popularity in North India after being adapted into Urdu, they have always had an ardent clan of admirers in our country.

'Woh Lamhe': An ode to Parveen BabiParveen Babi: The very mention of the name conjures images of a star who made news when alive and hit headlines when she met with an isolated, solitary demise.

&nbsp

Georgia mom seeks ban on Harry PotterA suburban county that sparked a public outcry when its libraries temporarily eliminated funding for Spanish-language fiction is now being asked to ban Harry Potter books from its schools.

Editorial:We welcome the dialogueEnding all speculation set off by the last-minute fiasco centring around a tea party invitation to the US ambassador's residence, the much-awaited dialogue between BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan

&nbsp

Editorial:Violence against power outagePeople angered by power outage blocked traffic in two important areas of the city, namely, Tejgaon Industrial Area and Jatrabari.

&nbsp

EndgameIn chess, the stages of the game are divided into the opening, the middle game, and the endgame. Different players differ in their ability to master each of these stages.

&nbsp

Moths and butterfliesMahatma Gandhi was shot dead by a Hindu extremist. Liaqat Ali Khan was killed by an assassin's bullet. Indira Gandhi was gunned down by her bodyguards.

Exams in Buet and related problemsBuet students are no doubt meritorious. Most of them have a Bengali medium background. But here in Buet the medium of instruction is English because of the presence of foreign students.

&nbsp

Not really surprisingAsia Energy's plight in Phulbari was perhaps not very surprising for experienced observers. It is a company that is solely based on a single project in Bangladesh.

&nbsp

'The voting right'I strongly disagree with the views expressed in the letter 'The voting right' by Mr. Shaifur Rahman, London, UK, which was published on October 2.

&nbsp

Dhaka UniversityThe word "insecure", which is applicable to Dhaka University, is really a matter of great regret and alarm.

&nbsp

Ramadan and Muslim fraternityEverything contains something special and so does the Hijri Calendar. Ramadan is a significant month for the Muslim community, which symbolises fraternity and fellow feeling.

&nbsp

Too many acronyms!It is hard to keep track of the bewildering plethora of organisations lending their voice to the din leading up to the elections.

&nbsp

Ramadan and Muslim fraternityEverything contains something special and so does the Hijri Calendar. Ramadan is a significant month for the Muslim community, which symbolises fraternity and fellow feeling.

&nbsp

Accept popular demandThere have been enough writings in the print media and enough discussions in the electronic media as well as in the various national level seminars & meetings on the acceptability of Justice KM Hasanas

South Asia:Fighting flares up despite Lankan peace pledgesSri Lanka's Air Force bombed Tamil Tiger bases for a third day yesterday, and suspected rebels clashed with government soldiers, after the foes agreed to crunch talks aimed at halting renewed civil war.

&nbsp

South Asia:Airports step up security over hijack fearsSecurity has been stepped up at a string of major Indian and Nepali airports after warnings that a flight to or from Nepal could be hijacked, a security official said.

&nbsp

South Asia:Nato takes command of Afghan peace forcesNato assumed responsibility for security across the whole of Afghanistan on Thursday when it took command in the east of the country from US-led coalition forces.

&nbsp

Japan, US push divided UN to punish N KoreaJapan called yesterday on a divided UN Security Council to impose tough sanctions on North Korea if it tests an atom bomb, but Pyongyang warned it would not back down unless the United States compromises.

&nbsp

US, EU warn Israel over closure of Gaza borderUS and European security officials have told Israel that European states may withdraw their monitors from the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt unless Israel agrees to keep it open.

&nbsp

UN European HQ faces terrorist alertThe United Nations boosted security at its European headquarters yesterday after receiving warnings of a possible terrorist attack, according to an internal document obtained by AFP.

&nbsp

Nobel winner Kornberg hails his son's awardArthur Kornberg, the 1959 Nobel Medicine Prize co-laureate, basked in his son Roger's Nobel chemistry honour Wednesday, saying he long thought his son deserved it, but warned a decline in US government